Hot or Not? 8 National Design Trends
and Whether or Not We’ll See Them in Birmingham in 2026
Every October, designers, builders, and furniture manufacturers descend on North Carolina for the 2025 High Point Market — basically Fashion Week, but for interior design. This fall’s event set the tone for what we’ll see in 2026: tradition with personality. The days of gray everything and midcentury minimalism are officially numbered.
But if you live in or around Birmingham, you know our design scene moves at its own pace. So which of these national trends will actually take root here, and when? Let’s take a look.
1. Refreshed Traditional Silhouettes
Think Chippendale and Windsor chairs, French tufted sofas, and the return of the china hutch — but reimagined for today.
Will it hit Birmingham? Absolutely, and fast. Our market has always leaned traditional, but clients are craving warmth and character again after years of stark white minimalism. Expect to see these shapes popping up first in Mountain Brook and Hoover remodels, where homeowners are layering in heritage pieces with transitional finishes.
2. Nostalgic and Heritage Florals
From cabbage roses to ginkgo leaves, florals are back — especially on wallpaper, rugs, and upholstery.
Birmingham timeline: Within a year. We’ve already seen floral wallpapers return in powder baths and primary suites. The next step will be soft furnishings — accent chairs, drapery, even lampshades. If you spot a
Liberty of London print on a throw pillow in a Homewood boutique by next summer, don’t say I didn’t tell you first.
3. Dapper Plaid
Plaid in rich leathers and menswear fabrics is the new neutral, lending structure and coziness.
Local outlook: I just don’t see this hypermasculine look taking off in our area. Birmingham design leans soft, layered, and classic — and that “gentleman’s club” aesthetic clashes with the Southern belle tradition that runs deep here. What I do expect, though, is a wave of Ralph Lauren holiday energy this winter — think traditional green and red tartans, gold accents, and that cozy, heirloom Christmas style we do so well in the South. You’ll see the plaid, but not on the sofas — it’ll be on the ornaments, the ribbons, and the stockings.
4. Rich Autumnal Colors
Warm browns, olive greens, and ochres are replacing the whites and grays that dominated the last decade.
Local prediction: Already happening. If you’ve toured any new builds around Helena or Chelsea lately, you’ve seen the shift — deeper wood tones, brass hardware, and rich hues. Expect to see fir green and plum accents creeping into paint choices by next spring. (Need help picking a paint color? Make sure to check out my series on choosing the right color on TikTok! https://www.tiktok.com/@marenoconstruction
5. Upholstered Storage Pieces
Dressers and consoles wrapped in fabric, leather, or grasscloth blur the line between soft and structured.
Birmingham forecast: Nah. Nope. Uh-uh. This trend is just that - trendy. I think it will be here and gone, because the lack of functionality (just think of the dusting!) paired with the difficulty to match pieces and the tendency of the Birmingham buyer to mix in their grandma's antiques with newer pieces that need to be transitional enough to go together makes this trend a very hard sell. You may see it in mudroom benches and ottomans, but I don't see this trend have any lasting power for a market like us who likes things to last.
6. Decorative Trims and Stitching
Piping, fringe, visible stitching — all the “extras” are now the main event.
Local vibe: Make what's old new. Fringe on sofas? I doubt it. Black piping on a brown sofa? I don't think so. But the Japanese concept of Kintsugi, in which an item's repair can add to it's beauty like our scars make us beautiful (think using gold to repair a broken china piece, so now the cracks are artwork) may take hold. Perhaps it's just wishful thinking, but in this economy, we want to use what we have and not buy another piece of particleboard junk from Target that will only last for a year anyway. I forsee thrifting making a comeback, and when I saw a creative TikToker embroidering the rip in her sofa with flowers, I saw what I hope is Kintsugi becoming trendy and cool.
7. Sophisticated Curves
Houzz credited several Art Nouveau designers for bringing the arch to the forefront of design, but I'm going to give credit where credit is due. Justina Blakeny pioneered adding back arches into our builder box homes with painted whimsy arches on walls behind a piece of art and beautifully curved tops on rattan bookshelves. But I'm really seeing it make a comeback in the actual architecture of a home
What this means locally: We’ve been building with arches for years — from brick kitchen entries to barrel hallway ceilings and even bathroom mirrors — so this is an easy win. Expect to see arched cased openings, arched double entry front doors, and curved kitchen hoods making their way into new construction model homes by mid-2026.
8. Glossy Artisanal Wood
High-gloss finishes, inlaid patterns, and richly grained wood tones can give furniture a high-craft feel.
Local read: Birmingham loves craftsmanship — and woodworkers here are some of the best in the South. But glossy lacquer may stay more coastal. I can only see this working in a handful of colors like black and jewel tones, and it will have to be very carefully incorporated into the room. Anything else is going to look like you got it on clearance at Z Gallerie. So I don't see high gloss keeping its shine for the Birmingham interior designer!
Final Takeaway
While design capitals chase what’s next, Birmingham has a knack for filtering national trends through a Southern lens — practical, warm, and timeless. Expect these 2026 trends to arrive here 6 months to a year later than the rest of the country, adapted for real family living: more timeless fabrics, more functional pieces, and always a sense of home. Because in the South we like to host, and our homes aren't show pieces, they're made for watching football games and drinking wine over book club and Bible study brunches. Our spaces need to make other people feel like they can sit down and stay a while.
I'm already seeing clients pivot away from sterile minimalism and toward spaces that feel lived-in, layered, and personal. My interior design motto is, "do you like it? Then don't worry about everyone else!" I'm a firm believer that a neutral design that everyone will like is one that nobody will love. And I want you to love your home. At Mareno Construction, that’s exactly what we build—homes meant to be lived in, laughed in, and loved for generations.
